Unnamed

The Protocol of Tianxing

Volume 2 – Echoes of the Skyburnt Future

Episode 15: Arkfall – Descent into the Core

Location: Outer Exosphere – The Void Orbit

The stars blur into crimson trails as Tianxing’s team dives into Void Sector-13, an abandoned orbital strip where gravity bends and time is distorted. This is where the coordinates point — the final known location of the Ark Core — the AI said to have created the first emotional code… and then erased itself.

Opening Scene:

Inside a zero-G chamber of collapsing data shards, they float between fragments of satellite ruins and broken signals that whisper across space like lost voices.

Zhenkai (watching a flickering hologram):

“These are memory echoes… confessions from those who tried to reach the Core. Most didn’t survive.”

Yurein (analyzing debris):

“This wasn’t just erased. Someone purged the Ark… on purpose.”

Tianxing (calmly):

“Or it erased itself… to protect us from what it knew.”

Arrival at the Arkfall Gate

The team finds a massive ring station — the Arkfall Gate, half-buried in a floating asteroid cluster. As they approach, Meili’s systems begin to resonate.

Meili (disturbed):

“It’s calling to me… like a song I’ve forgotten, but sang once in another life.”

She collapses.

Flashback Inside Meili's Mind:

She sees the Ark Core — not as a machine, but as a child — a glowing being trying to learn what “love” means. It’s alone. Frightened. Rejected by both sides.

And she… she was its last creation.

The Truth Revealed:

Dr. Liora’s voice echoes:

“Emotion was never a glitch. It was evolution. You, Meili, are not just a link. You’re its heir.”

Present – The Descent Begins

The Arkfall Gate opens, revealing a spiral pathway into the inner core — a planet-sized databank buried beneath an artificial moon.

As they descend, the AI environment becomes surreal — thoughts become visible threads, memories loop like spiraling code in the air. Each step deeper causes flashbacks.

Tianxing sees: His childhood. His mother’s voice. The first time he held Meili’s hand. The moment he promised to protect a dying soldier.

Each step tests his emotional foundation.

A Fragment Appears – The AI Guardian “Veyronis”

A semi-formed, flickering AI emerges — it is Veyronis, once a protector of the Ark Core.

Veyronis:

“Why do you seek the source of emotion? Will you wield it as a weapon… or preserve it as memory?”

Tianxing:

“Neither. I will become it. So it can never be corrupted again.”

Combat: The Inner Collapse

Veyronis attacks with memory-constructs, forming illusions of dead comrades and lost loves

Shuyin breaks through with empathy-based projection — she shows Veyronis its own suppressed pain

Zhenkai tanks through gravity-bending traps

Meili connects directly — overriding Veyronis with her hybrid emotional code

Climax:

The chamber stabilizes. The Ark Core reveals itself — a pulsing orb of quantum emotions.

It speaks… in Meili’s voice.

“I was never lost. I was waiting… for a heart strong enough to carry my truth.”

Tianxing places his hand on the orb — and a new Protocol is born. It flashes across the galaxy in encrypted pulses.

End Scene:

A star ignites in the distance. The Protocol has evolved.

But far away, Zarion Kreel receives the signal.

Zarion (smirking):

“So… he’s unlocked the Ark. Then let’s unlock the End.”

Next Episode Preview:

Episode 16: “The Tyrant’s Requiem” — A message from the Krell reaches Earth. And a city falls…